Man Short-Circuits Bloomfield Eminent Domain Proceedings — For Now

BLOOMFIELD — Harry Sawyer is hotly opposed to the town's decision to take his property by eminent domain, so much so that instead of taking the town's offer, he sold the property for $1.

Sawyer bought 7 acres adjacent to the public works garage last September for $99,000, according to town records.

The town had been negotiating, unsuccessfully, to buy the property from its previous owner to be used for a future garage expansion.

Town officials said the previous owner, Charlie Smith, wanted $160,000 for the land, while the town was offering between $30,000 and $50,000. The owner reduced his asking price to $125,000, but the town wouldn't budge, and Smith sold the property to Sawyer.

In November, the town council authorized the use of eminent domain, and in April the town filed a "certificate of taking" to purchase the property against Sawyer's will for $41,000, based on two appraisals.

But Sawyer, who owns a construction company in Granby, where he lives, wasn't ready to throw in the towel. His fiance, Amy Geigner, started an online petition at change.org to ask the town to stop the proceedings. More than 1,350 signatures have been collected.

Sawyer, Geigner and a group of supporters also went to a town council meeting earlier this month to oppose the sale. During more than a half hour of public comment, residents of Bloomfield and surrounding towns urged the town council to reconsider its decision and criticized them for even considering taking the land.

Sandy Lisella of Hartland asked council members what they would do if "this was happening to your son or daughter?"

Sawyer asked the council, which didn't respond to questions, citing pending litigation, how it could justify taking land he didn't want to sell.

"It's theft. It's extortion, and you know it is," Sawyer told the council. "You're not taking it. I'll fight you tooth and nail."

True to his word, Sawyer put the brakes on the proceedings, at least temporarily, because he sold the land to John T. Barney for $1 three days before the town filed its legal documents with the court. Barney could not be reached for comment, and his address on the deed is listed as a post office box in the Tariffville section of Simsbury.

Sawyer also filed a motion earlier this month to dismiss the case, arguing that the town "did not follow all the procedural requirements" listed in state statutes.

Bloomfield Town Attorney Marc Needelman called Sawyer's sale to Barney "highly dubious" and suggested that if Sawyer really believes the property is only worth $1, that the town would be happy to "conclude condemnation of it."

"He and his friends can do their best to delay, but at the end of the day the law is the law," Needelman said. "I think we'll just start the process over."

Needelman said he was not sure if the town council would need to vote again to restart eminent domain proceedings. The council is expected to discuss the issue when it meets Tuesday.

Asked Friday why he would sell his $99,000 investment for $1 rather than accept $41,000 from Bloomfield, Sawyer replied "Why not?" and vowed to continue the fight.